You will need the fol owing:

12  Muffin paper cases to line the muffin tray
2  Fresh Eggs medium size
240ml Milk
120ml Oil, any light vegetable or nut
200g Sugar
375g Plain Flour
4 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
175 to 250g  Pear and Ginger or any other fruit or berries.

Heat the oven to 200c, gas 6, 400F

Add eggs, oil, milk and sugar and mix lightly

In a different bowl add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix lightly

Add the flour  to the wet ingredients and stir through

Add the pear and ginger or the fruit you are using

Line the muffin tray with the paper cases

Add the mixture to the cases (if you are using the maximum amount of  fruit then you will have enough for 13/14 muffins).

Bake for 25 minutes

or if you are in a rush and don’t mind the pale look a minute per muffin in the microwave oven.  Mine microwave is an 850watt.

It has to be said that I have had mixed results with this recipe due to the differences in the volume of juice.   I prefer to use pears that are ripe and have the most flavour but it does make them all the more juicy,  but even if it doesn’t set to well I have always found uses for the end product.

I have used this non setting end product as a topping for  ice-cream or yogurt.  Yesterday using up the last of  a batch of  non setting, I strained the fruit and ginger and this went into Pear and Ginger Muffins (which I have to say were delicious) and  saved the syrup to go on to my porridge oats in the morning.

This jam has become a firm favourite with friends and family so I hope you like it to.

The ingredients are as follows:

2lbs  Washed, peeled, cored and chopped Conference pears
4 – 6 oz  Crystallized ginger
1 – 2 oz  Fresh ginger peeled, grated and the juice squeezed through some muslin or strong kitchen paper
2lbs Sugar
2 Lemons juiced (use just the juice)

Heat all the ingredients together until the sugar has dissolved

Bring to the boil (110c)  and continue at a rolling boiling  until setting point is reached. This can be checked by the cold plate test, put a teaspoon of  jam on the plate and let it cool, if it wrinkles when you push your finger against it, it is at setting point.

Bottle in clean and sterile jars.

Label and date.